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UHF is line of sight until it is reflected or refracted by some atmospheric condition. Google Tropospheric Ducting.

I figured it was that easy, maybe I am not close enough to the repeater, I am in the estimated range, I will try to get closer. Thank you for your help

Is the UV32 nearly the same radio except without DMR?

OK, here's one for the folks that actually understand how EM propagation works in practice: A couple of years ago, the current distance record was set for LoRa at more than 800 miles. The communication was between a fishing boat and one of the buoys in its fishery across open ocean. https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/article/new-lora-world-record-1336-km-830-mi Frankly, I'm confused as to how that happened when, by my best guestimates, the unit on the buoy has a horizon at around 4 miles. The one on the boat, due to its greater height, had a horizon at more like 15 miles, but that still doesn't make it better! Now, I was under the impression that signals in the 800-1000 MHz range sere strictly line of site, with neither ground nor sky propagation. Nonetheless, this event would imply that either I'm completely wrong about how EM propagation works, or somebody's fibbing...

I've seen a few in road race track racecars, but not in oval track racecars. Mobile radios are common in off-road race type vehicles for obvious reasons.

Saw those the other day. Pretty dang cool. About the only DMR/Analog HT I've seen that does cool analog stuff I've been missing in HT's like my MD-380. Things like tone scan, add/remove channels on the radio without a PC, etc. It's almost like a standard analog radio with all the analog features one would want that does DMR instead of a DMR radio that can do basic pre-programmed analog but with no real analog features.

The UV-5RH Pro GPS is almost the same radio in terms of features and function. It lacks the support and updatable firmware of the BF-F8HP Pro, and those things do matter, but it's 1/4 the price. If I were going to have only one HT and use it for many years, I'd probably go with the F8HP, but I bought the 5RH instead. There's not really one right answer to the question of what radio is "best". It depends upon how you think you will use the radio.

If nothing else the 20w radio will sound louder. You will have the clear commanding voice.

You might get a couple extra yards of farz out of the extra power, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Nope, nope, nope not going to even look

I don't think so. The probability of getting separated is about the same no matter what radios you have, but with the mobile, you at least have a chance of getting a message to them even if they can't effectively respond. One-way is better than no-way, IMO.

Prior to moving from Northern California in 2019 where 99.2% of the public safety systems were analog conventional VHF& UHF systems, I would get several requests to program various vintage Mototola radios because no one had the capability any longer, with public safety and/or Ham freqs. Some of the people said they were either volunteers or reserves, but the radios were privately owned. I refused to program any public safety freqs. As for the people that wanted Ham freqs, I also to turned them away for a couple reasons, one for not having the HAM channel information to be programmed and/or for the HAM freqs being out of the operating band range of their radio. One genuine Einstein even brought me, I think was a MTX9000, that operated in the 900 MHz band with a operating band range above the 900 MHz Amateur band, and he wanted both 2 Meter and 70 cm freqs programmed in the radio. And this guy also didn't have any programming channel information. I guess I was supposed to look that up for him. After moving to Arizona in 2019, I only had one guy show up driving a Black Crown Vic with spot lights requesting a vintage Motorola radio programmed with both GMRS and a couple police UHF freqs. The radio was a VHF radio that I suspect was an old LAPD VHF radio. I don't get too many real Einsteins wanting public safety freqs programmed in their privately owned radios since every agency in the Phoenix area operates on either Phase 1 or 2 Digital Trunk and encrypted 700 MHz systems.

Probably, but not for the reason you think. The biggest factor is that the antenna of a mobile radio is outside the vehicle while the HT antennas are inside the vehicle -- essentially a Faraday cage. Transmission and reception will both be adversely impacted by being inside the vehicle. Second, a mobile radio antenna is usually a better antenna in general, because it doesn't have to be short enough to be easily carried. Third, a VHF or UHF radio signal is significantly impacted by obstacles -- mostly hills and buildings in the case you're describing. The rule of thumb is that in order to double the distance of the signal, you have to quadruple the power of the radio. All other things being equal, your radio should yield about twice the effective distance of the HTs, but all other things are not even close to equal in your case. Short answer -- yes, I would expect them to hear you further than you can hear them, but it has less to do with power than with other factors. You could learn a lot by simply doing the experiment. Try communication between your mobile and an HT under different conditions and see what you get.

I'm still fairly new to radios and GMRS and trying to get my mind wrapped around the technical concepts. My intended use is for communications between multiple drivers transporting a group of young men to camping outings (we're a Trail Life USA troop). I'm contemplating getting a 20w mobile to install into my car (because, or course, I'm attracted to the possibility of farther range ). But most of the other dads would likely be using 5w handhelds in their vehicles. My question is: I, with my 20w would be able to transmit farther (in most conditions) than the 5w handhelds -- so does that mean that if we got separated a number of miles on the highway, they would be able to hear me from farther away, but that I would probably NOT be able to hear them calling back, due to their lower power? For transportation communications like this, would it be better for all of us to have the same power handhelds? Thanks for any help and insight you'all could give me.

Telling the truth about rules and consequences is much closer to being a steward of the service than spreading lies and misinformation about it.

I have yet to see a mobile radio in a race car. Every radio I have seen is a portable with an antenna adapter. I dont know if indy or F1 is different but at least in the nascar world its all portables. Rarely do you even see a mobile in a safety truck either. If you are doing a mobile I'm with others get a quality LMR radio with limited functions.

Whats really sad is the amount of folks on this forum that encourage folks to break the rules. Regardless if its uncertified radios, using non gmrs frequencies like ham. Then on top of it it we tell folks dont worry no one cares or can do anything. What happened to be a stewardess of the hobby/service ? Lately this forum isn't much better than the prepper forums out there.

Yes: repeaters use an “offset” to receive on one frequency and then retransmit the signal on their main output frequency. For GMRS, that offset is 5 MHz and the DB20-G is preset for that offset on channels 23-30. So when you transmit on Channel 15 it both transmits and receives on 462.550. Whereas on Channel 23, it also receives on 462.550 but transmits on 467.550. The tone is used by the repeater to determine if your signal should be retransmitted by the repeater on the offset frequency or not.

This should get the job done. This is an extract from the csv version, but it gives you an idea of what you need

Sure, if I want to eliminate one of the main repeaters in the area. I run 2 different scans on my KG1000. Police, EMS and fire on one side and My repeater, Holyoke, Enfield and Glastonbury. Glastonbury is the one that has the DMR break through. But I have DMR interference on all frequencies 1-22. Seems to be pervasive in my area. The emergency frequencies rarely have any interference.

No strawman to it. It might NOT have been what you were referring to, but I can promise you that even today with statewide 700/800 radio systems the ARES guys STILL 100% believe that they should have access to that system and every analog public safety repeater on the air. And it's not just the ARES crowd. The number of average hams that 100% believe that little blurb in part 97 about 'any means at your disposal' means talking to the Po Po is completely acceptable and expected. I had this discussion with a couple hams about 10 years ago. They were adamant that was what it meant. I had to talk to the FCC on business related stuff and ask them as a side question about it and that is exactly what they said. Ham operators can use any HAM frequency in the ham allocation during an emergency. But that was it. They went further to state that modifying a Part 97 (ham) radio was against the rules and at no time should a part 97 radio be used on part 90 frequencies. They also said that even if they were using commercial part 90 radios, that without prior authorization being issued that they would be in violation. They emailed me all of this and I actually printed it out and had it laminated and would stuff it in the face of the hams that were convinced they were authorized by the regulation to talk to the public safety dispatchers on their channels, from their personal radios, if there was an emergency. I run into this about once a month. Someone will bring a radio into the shop they want loaded with public safety frequencies they got from radio reference. Half of the stuff isn't even on the air any more. Hell, some of it I pulled from service. We just tell them that they need letters from the fire chief / sheriff / someone on letterhead with an MOU and we will be happy to program them in. Without the MOU in hand they get nothing.

You need one of these. You won’t regret spending the money. https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-TinySA-Spectrum-Frequency-Generator/dp/B0BBGK9QJB/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.E2AAv7H7z2PGLOgyJTAO-jFyX5El88briZR7abomJlt6lrN42NjxPUaKIc37w3hBUbBh_ZQs88keonNdxBj2tmSDY6qZPoT1yzD3N4i7oAF8JqLLJ919K2ka6MUwIHRhhGxf84NA519KaW2ymkv3Druf5x1ODuooPRLZZR5r_0JEAVykbfeMWCoo677OWPN_8XDeycpVtmpwi8N9lcPYAAo08cF4Luy0fvCTRpaYnME.uF1TvflqM_sedTmU2VZSBh_uHbIBjR5HKXL5-YeS_hY&dib_tag=se&hvadid=694399657356&hvdev=t&hvexpln=67&hvlocphy=9031792&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=8588421908655988712--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8588421908655988712&hvtargid=kwd-950925853801&hydadcr=13153_13399500&keywords=tiny+spectrum+analyzer&mcid=273461ec36b53e08a9a40d42412c327f&qid=1753502082&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

The Garmin Rino screen actually gets brighter and easier to see in bright direct sunshine.

Got one coming. Saw that when ordering a UV28. I like the group option which both radios will do.

The only HT I own with good screen resolution during the day is my Hytera 682. My GM15 Pro is not bad when tilted to shade.